Best Buy and Samsung executives gathered today at the Union Square Best Buy in New York to celebrate the grand opening of the Samsung Experience Shop.

Earlier this month, Samsung revealed plans to open a chain of mini shops within Best Buy big box and Best Buy Mobile locations around the U.S. The Big Apple location is one of the 900 Samsung shops expected by early May for a total of 1,400 by early June.

"This opening of the Samsung Experience Shop at Best Buy is a key illustration of the Best Buy Renew Blue strategy," CEO Hubert Joly said at today's event. "This is a very meaningful development from the customer standpoint. It is an opportunity to touch, feel, and learn about great products and how they work together."

Joly addressed the crowd from a large and prominent corner of the store that has been transformed into a Samsung-only area where the South Korean manufacturer can showcase its lineup of phones, tablets, laptops, and accessories.

The partnership began about five months ago, when Joly met with Samsung CEO JK Shin to discuss a future together.

"Best Buy wanted to truly showcase the world's most popular products, and Samsung wanted a partner that could deliver an inviting customer experience in every corner of the United States," Shin said Wednesday. The new Samsung Experience Shop offers what he called a "unique opportunity, providing customers place to explore, purchase, activate, and service."

Samsung Experience Shops will be staffed by employees specifically trained in the art of Samsung electronics.

"It's really exciting," Samsung consultant Liz Stojkonic said Wednesday. The team is "very sure, very confident" about their level of expertise, she said. Fellow Best Buy Samsung employee Tony Maldonado agreed, adding that some workers have prior experience with Samsung products.

Customers can get a hands-on experience with the latest Samsung devices, including the Note 10.1, Note 8, and Tab 2 tablets, as well as the Galaxy S III and S4 smartphones. Retail availability will change as the product lineup does, according to store employees.

This isn't Samsung's first go at retail, though. But instead of settling for pop-up shops, this three-year agreement allows the company to test the permanent shopping experience in an intimate setting.

"We've had a number of pop-up styles here and globally," Samsung Electronics America President Tim Baxter said Wednesday. "What we learned is that consumers like that level of engagement with us. That gave us greater confidence in launching this."

Only time will tell, though, whether confidence and learning experiences are enough to keep the Samsung Experience Shop chain afloat. Early store openings have provided positive customer feedback, Joly said, which lends an air of confidence to the operation.

"There's no doubt in our minds that it will be successful," the Best Buy CEO said. "The only question is: How successful?"

About the Author

Stephanie joined PCMag in May 2012, moving to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in ... See Full Bio

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